Political protests could jeopardize your job, experts say

The growing number of anti-Israel protests on college campuses could jeopardize a student’s prospect of securing a job, especially on Wall Street, experts tell FOX Business. 

“We have seen offers revoked from candidates who have been publicly recognized, especially through social media, for controversial behavior and engaging in hate speech,” Emily Levine, executive vice president at Career Group Companies, told FOX Business. 

Levine also said officials have seen companies terminating employees for participating in non-peaceful protests. 

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Anti-Israel protests and encampments have been organized at Columbia, New York University, Yale, the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California. They forced some schools like Columbia to go into hybrid learning for the rest of the semester and forced USC to cancel its main stage graduation ceremony Thursday. 

Police were called to many campuses to break up some of the protests, which led to arrests. 

Anti-Israel students around the nation are condemning the assault on Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Simultaneously, some Jewish students say there has been a rise in antisemitism, with some students at Columbia recently telling FOX News they no longer feel safe. 

Law firms and Wall Street are particularly sensitive when it comes to aggressive protests, Gary Goldstein, CEO of the Whitney Group, told FOX Business. 

“It’s one thing to be involved in a peaceful protest where you’re debating political issues like abortion or women’s rights. … Those are the types of discussions you can have a public point of view on,” he said. 

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“When you start getting involved in something that involves genocide or accusing people of genocide or the extinction of a state, you’ve crossed the line.” 

The war began in early October after Hamas terrorists stormed Gaza in a surprise attack, killing over 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping over 200, some of whom remain hostages. Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health claims more than 30,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, though the Biden administration disputes that figure. Hamas does not distinguish between deaths of Hamas soldiers and civilians.

Anti-Israel protesters gather on the campus of Columbia University in New York City April 23, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Goldstein noted that “people have to be conscious of the fact that when you are working for a high-profile company, like any of the leading Wall Street banks or law firms, you are in the public domain. And anything you do in the public domain is seen as a reflection on those institutions.” 

If that’s not something you are comfortable with, Goldstein said you shouldn’t work for those institutions. 

“Firms are going to be very wary of individuals who are highly politicized for fear that they bring politics into the workplace,” he said.

Anti-Israel demonstrators at an encampment at Columbia University in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York April 22, 2024.  (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Goldstein commended companies like Google for their decision to terminate numerous employees who took part in sit-in protests at Google offices.

However, TalentPerch CEO Brianna Rooney told Fox Business it makes her sick to her stomach when she hears executives having bias toward candidates.

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“This biased behavior will come back to bite them. Unless someone’s out there causing chaos in protests, they should feel free to stand up for what they believe in,” Rooney said. “You shouldn’t have to work for a company that goes against your values.” 

She further argued that “integrity and staying true to yourself shouldn’t be sacrificed to land a job.” She also said its “a wake-up call” for both employers and job seekers “to respect each other’s differences.”

While she doesn’t think these protests will stain someone’s resume, she did warn that everything people post on social media will be looked at by potential employers, and they shouldn’t post anything they wouldn’t want their boss to see.